Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
When Neil started playing Exy in Arizona, Coach Hernandez loaned Neil one of the school's extra racquets. It was a basic model, average net depth and with a light frame. Wymack provided Neil with two upgrades of the same model when he signed with the Foxhole Court. Light racquets were popular with strikers and most beginning players because they allowed for easier accuracy. If a striker only had a split-second to take the shot, he wanted a quick racquet he didn't have to think about.
Kevin thought light racquets were a complete waste of Neil's time. As soon as Neil passed all thirteen of Kevin's Raven drills, Kevin started talking about moving Neil to a heavy racquet. Heavies were more popular with defense, since they were all about force and speed. Few offense players bothered with them, either not wanting the extra weight when trying to outstep defense or unable to perfect their aim with such an unwieldy stick. When mastered, though, heavy racquets could be devastating.
Kevin used a heavy with the Ravens, but he'd switched to a light racquet after his injury. Riko still used one. Neil was leery of switching racquets this late in the season, since it was bound to have a serious adjustment period, but Kevin turned a deaf ear to his arguments. Months of relentless night practices and Kevin's harsh tutelage gave Neil a scary accuracy it would have taken him years to learn on his own. Now that he could aim in a hair-trigger glance, he needed a racquet that would put force behind his shots. It was time to add power to his speed, or so Kevin said.
The best place to find racquets in South Carolina was in Columbia at Exites. Larger sports stores around the state had sections for Exy gear, but Exites was the only store one hundred percent devoted to the sport. They handled everything from gear to custom uniforms to collectibles. Neil had been on their website from time to time, but seeing it in person sent a thrill down his spine. It was a four-storey shop on the far side of the capital from Eden's Twilight, and the parking lot was comfortably crowded. Neil wasn't sure what he liked more: the thought of everything waiting for him inside those walls, or the many cars that proved Exy's popularity.
"This is stupid," Aaron said for the fourth or fifth time since they'd left campus. "We just fixed the line-up. Now you're going to screw us over again."
Kevin ignored him. He'd argued the first time Aaron protested, and he wouldn't waste his breath repeating himself. Neil was more tolerant of Aaron's frustration thanks to his own nerves, but he knew there was no changing Kevin's mind. He'd given Kevin control of his game and trusted Kevin to make the most of his potential. If Kevin thought he could handle this, Neil wouldn't let him down. It might mean working twice as hard as he had up until now, but he'd meet Kevin's expectations somehow.
"This is the best week for me to switch," Neil said as he followed Andrew out of the car. "We're up against JD on Friday. You guys can take them without any help from me."
As the Foxes rose in the rankings, JD Campbell University fell. The JD Tornadoes had always sat near the bottom in the southeastern district but now they held the unenviable role of last-place players. They'd won barely half their games so far this season. Kevin could outscore them with one hand behind his back. The only question was whether or not Andrew would find them interesting enough to guard his goal against. Chances were he'd be so bored by their performance he wouldn't even try.
JD was their last match in November, since next weekend they were off for Thanksgiving. There was one more game the first of December, and with that the Foxes' fall season was over. They had a week off to study for their finals, a week of exams none of them were looking forward to, and an Exy Christmas banquet December 16th. Thinking about it soured a little of Neil's good mood. It felt like he'd just met Wymack yesterday. Now the season was a blink from being over. The Foxes were guaranteed a spot in spring championships, so there'd be more games in January, but Neil couldn't bear thinking he was almost done.
He still didn't know where he was going to spend his two-week Christmas break. He was betting the cousins weren't going anywhere, since Kevin would be intolerable if they took him too far from the Foxhole Court. Hopefully Neil could stick around and get some practices in. He'd just have to figure out what excuse to give the team for not going home.
They passed a register on their way through the front door into Exites, and the cashier on duty spit out his coffee when he saw Kevin. Neil shied away from Kevin's too-recognizable face and began looking around the store. The first floor was mostly clothes, with fan material taking up the front half and workout clothes in the back. Posters and displays showed local athletes modeling uniforms the store produced.
Neil rummaged through the fan gear for South Carolina's major teams. There were only two Class I schools in the state, Palmetto State and USC Columbia, but there were also three Class II teams and the major leagues team, the Columbia Dragons. Major leagues Exy played during the summer, saving fall and spring for the more-popular college and professional teams. Neil watched their games but didn't have any favorites. He saved all his love for the NCAA and national Court.
"Come on," Nicky said, nudging Neil and jerking his chin in Kevin's direction. "He's going to be a while."
Neil looked to see Kevin now talking to an older man with a nametag. He was dressed more professionally than the cashier, so Neil guessed he was the manager on duty. Neil glanced around in search of the security cameras. He wondered if the cashier hit a panic button to call the manager up front or if the man had seen Kevin's face on his computer screens in back. Either way the lightning-quick response made Neil's skin crawl. He nodded and followed Nicky to the stairs.